LOL: What does it mean to torture players?

"Don't panic, we still have a chance. Apart from Vayne, the rest of them are only moderately developed." Knight tried to reassure the team in the voice chat. "As long as we hold off the super minions, our two carries will get their items, and we'll definitely win the team fight!"

JDG demonstrated the extreme resilience of a top-tier team. Instead of blindly attacking, they huddled together like an iron barrel near the inhibitor turret and the only remaining mid-lane high ground, using Azir and Lucian's wave clear abilities to tenaciously resist the onslaught of super minions from both lanes.

17 minutes 30 seconds.

During this period, Su Mo did not force an advance, but instead thoroughly looted JDG's jungle, and even took down the Rift Herald by himself.

His equipment is progressing towards an extremely terrifying three-piece set.

Meanwhile, the other EDG members, under Su Mo's command, continuously seized map resources, squeezing JDG's living space.

18 minutes 40 seconds.

The Baron Nashor is about to spawn.

This is the ultimate resource that can change the course of the entire game.

"Control the vision around Baron Nashor. If they dare to come out, cripple them in the jungle." Su Mo recalled to base to replenish his supplies and built his third major item—[Infinity Edge]!
Siren, Green Fork, Endless.

This extremely aggressive pure damage build makes Vayne's every auto-attack feel like the Grim Reaper's scythe.

"This equipment... is outrageous." Miller gasped on the commentary stage. "Once Vayne pins a hero to the wall, no hero can survive more than three seconds."

19 minutes 30 seconds.

EDG's five players gathered at the Baron pit, clearing out all vision in the surrounding area.

JDG has fallen into utter darkness.

"We can't let them go, or this game will be over." Knight gritted his teeth and led the five JDG players to cautiously explore the river.

Missing's Nami walked in front, trying to use her Q skill to scout the bushes.

"They're here. Get ready to receive the group." Su Mo's voice was cold and emotionless.

19 minutes 45 seconds.

The two sides met at a narrow pass in the river.

This time, JDG executed their tactics with extreme determination.

"Activate Vayne! Give her all your skills!" Coach Homme yelled frantically backstage.

Kanavi's Monkey King activated his W to become invisible, directly bypassing EDG's front line, and then flashed to unleash his ultimate, "Havoc in Heaven," slamming it into Vayne in the back line!

Almost simultaneously, 369's Ornn unleashed his ultimate ability from afar, the Magma Ram roaring as it charged into EDG's formation!
"JDG has launched a strong attack!! Their target is Mozi!!!" Wawa shouted hoarsely.

Faced with JDG's devastating aggressive initiation.

Su Mo's reaction was incredibly fast.

At the critical moment when the monkey flashed down, he activated his ultimate skill [Final Moment] and used his Q skill [Dodge Strike] to become invisible!
The monkey's ultimate skill's first knock-up missed!
But JDG's killing intent was unwavering. Missing's Nami followed up with her ultimate, "Raging Waves," and a massive wave covered all of Vayne's movement space after she revealed herself.

Knight's Azir decisively used Flash + WEQ to drift into the fray, and his ultimate [Imperial Wall] blocked Vayne's retreat to the jungle!
"There's no way out! Brother Mozi has been cornered!" Zitai shouted.

In the face of desperation, Su Mo calmly used Flash to barely dodge Tsar's wall push, but was still grazed to the edge by Nami's wave, causing a brief knock-up.

In that tiny gap of a fraction of a second.

Ruler's Lucian unleashed his ultimate, "The Cleaving," raining down a barrage of bullets on Vayne like a storm!
Even with the life-saving shield of the Green Cross, Vayne's health continued to plummet like water.

"Protect Mo Ge!!" Chen's Vi shouted, using her ultimate to lock onto Lucian and try to interrupt his damage output.

Xiao Yue's Annie also flashed forward and slammed Tibbers down.

But JDG's teamwork was too perfect. Ornn's second ultimate knocked Vi away, and Wukong's second ultimate disrupted EDG's formation once again.

Ultimately, JDG's four players focused their attacks relentlessly.

The seemingly invincible Night Hunter fell before the Dragon Pit.

"JDG.Ruler has killed EDG.Mo!"

"The End!!!"

"He's dead!! Mozi is dead!!! JDG found a perfect opportunity in a desperate situation and killed this monster!!!" Miller was so excited that his face turned red.

20 minutes 00 seconds.

With Su Mo's death, EDG's formation collapsed instantly.

Although they fought desperately to trade kills for Wukong and Nami, the continuous damage from Azir and Lucian ultimately resulted in a brutal 1-for-4 exchange, with JDG losing Wukong and EDG losing all members except Xayah.

"Baron! Attack Baron!" Knight shouted frantically in the voice chat.

The remaining three JDG members, Ornn, Azir, and Lucian, dragged their weakened bodies into the Baron pit.

20 minutes 30 seconds.

System notification: JDG.Knight has killed Baron Nashor!

The JDG fans in the stadium erupted in thunderous cheers!

"Hope for a comeback! JDG has secured Baron!!" Wawa exclaimed excitedly, "In this extremely desperate situation, they managed to seize upon a tiny flaw in Mozi's positioning and pull off a miraculous comeback team fight!"

21 minutes 00 seconds.

With the Baron buff, JDG's momentum was unstoppable.

Using the minions empowered by the Baron buff, they tenaciously cleared out the super minions in the top and bottom lane inhibitors, and then pushed down EDG's mid lane first and second towers.

The economic gap that was originally as high as 6,000 yuan was directly reduced to 3,000 yuan after this big dragon's momentum!

More importantly, JDG's two carries, Azir and Lucian, not only earned high bounties, but also upgraded their equipment to an extremely terrifying level.

"The situation is completely different now." Zz1tai took a deep breath. "Azir has Rylai's Crystal Scepter, Lucian has Gale Force, and JDG's two carries have reached their full potential. If EDG can't protect Vayne in the next team fight, this game could really be a reverse sweep!"

22 minutes 30 seconds.

"Damn it, I used Flash too early." After respawning, Su Mo looked at the grayed-out screen and, unusually, took responsibility. His tone remained calm, but a colder rage burned in his deep eyes.

"It's okay, Brother Mo, we'll protect you with our lives later," Ah Chen comforted him over the voice message.

23 minutes 00 seconds.

The third dragon (fire dragon) is about to appear, which is the key to whether JDG can get the Fire Dragon Soul.

Both sides regrouped towards the lower river. This time, JDG was clearly brimming with confidence, taking advantage of the Baron buff to proactively control vision in the river.

"Don't give them any room to maneuver, Ornn, find an opportunity to go straight for it!" Coach Homme excitedly directed from backstage.

23 minutes 20 seconds.

369's Ornn was at the forefront, and suddenly unleashed his ultimate ability, the Magma Ram, roaring as he charged towards EDG's formation!
Another team fight breaks out!

This time, however, Su Mo did not give JDG another chance to force an engagement.

The moment Ornn's ultimate was about to hit, he calmly positioned himself behind Annie and Vi, using his teammates' bodies as cover, perfectly dodging the first wave of knock-up!
Kanavi's Monkey King stealthily entered the fray, attempting to repeat the miracle of the previous wave, but Chen's Vi was prepared, interrupting the Monkey King's dash with her Q skill and locking him down with her ultimate!
"The monkey got instantly killed!! EDG's counterattack was extremely decisive!!"

Despite losing their jungler, JDG did not back down. Knight's Azir drifted into the fray, using his ultimate to push away Vi and Annie, attempting to create space for Lucian to deal damage.

But Su Mo's Vayne is like an assassin dancing in the dark.

The moment he activated his ultimate, he didn't attack Ornn in front of him. Instead, he abruptly used his Q skill to become invisible, gliding to the side and bypassing Azir's sand soldiers to lock onto Ruler's Lucian!

"Mozi has flanked! He's got his eye on Lucian!!"

The moment he appears, he uses a basic attack followed by his E skill, "Demon Judgment"!
An extremely precise arrow pinned Lucian, who was trying to unleash his Gale Force, firmly to the wall of the Dragon Pit!
The triple-ring explosion and the critical strike damage from the Infinity Blade left Lucian with no time to react, instantly melting him!

"EDG.Mo has killed JDG.Ruler!"

"One of their two carries has fallen!! JDG has crumbled!!"

Without their core damage dealer, JDG completely collapsed. Su Mo was like a reaper on the battlefield, relentlessly pursuing his prey with the help of Green Crossbow and Siren.

The Tsar, Nami, and Ornn fell one after another.

"Quadra Kill! Four kills!!!"

A powerful female voice echoed through the canyon.

24 minutes 00 seconds.

"A quadra kill!! Mozi's perfectly executed flanking quadra kill has shattered JDG's hopes of a comeback!!!" Wawa roared hoarsely, "He proved to everyone that a god doesn't fall twice in the same place!!!"

With this team wipe, EDG secured the Fire Dragon and, taking advantage of the mid-lane minion wave, marched straight to the enemy's stronghold.

24 minutes 30 seconds.

JDG's mid-lane inhibitor tower collapsed.

24 minutes 45 seconds.

The turret was reduced to ruins by the combined fire of super minions and Vayne.

"It's over! It's all over!" Miller exclaimed, tears welling in his eyes. "Congratulations to EDG for sweeping JDG 3-0 and advancing to the Summer Split Finals!!!"

With the blue crystal nexus exploding, the game time stopped at 25 minutes and 10 seconds.

The entire venue erupted in cheers! Golden rain fell from the sky above the performing arts center.

Su Mo took off his noise-canceling headphones and calmly finished the last sip of warm water in his thermos.

His throne remains unshakeable.

As the blue crystal hub exploded, the Hongqiao Performing Arts Center was instantly engulfed in deafening cheers. A shower of golden rain fell from above the venue, as if crowning this undisputed victory.

Inside EDG's battle zone, A-Chen was so excited that he jumped up from his chair and hugged Xiao-Yue next to him. The two of them jumped and bounced behind the chair. Leave and Vamp also gave each other a high five in celebration.

Among them, Su Mo seemed out of place in this fervent atmosphere.

He calmly removed his noise-canceling headphones and neatly hung them next to the monitor. His slender fingers deftly unplugged the keyboard and mouse from their USB ports, meticulously packing the peripherals into his black accessory bag. The entire process was like that of a precisely functioning machine, devoid of any emotional fluctuation. Finally, he picked up his signature black thermos on the table, unscrewed the lid, and drank the last sip of warm goji berry water.

"Brother Mo! We've made it to the finals!" Ah Chen excitedly approached, his face glistening with sweat under the spotlight.

Su Mo stuffed the thermos into his peripheral bag, turned his head slightly, and his deep eyes showed little emotion: "Okay. Pack your things and go shake hands."

Brief, aloof, yet imposing with an unquestionable authority.

Ah Chen and Xiao Yue immediately suppressed their elation, obediently packed up their peripherals, and followed Su Mo toward the JDG battle area on the other side of the stage.

Inside the JDG soundproof booth, the atmosphere was deathly silent, almost suffocating.

369 slumped in his gaming chair, his hands clutching his face in agony. From Poppy in the first game, to Olaf in the second, and now Ornn, nailed to the pillory of shame in this final game, the man opposite him had utterly crushed all his confidence and dignity in the most cruel and unreasonable way.

Knight stared blankly at the glaring word "Defeat" on the screen, his lips bleeding from biting them. He had tried his best; he had even stolen Baron Nashor in a desperate situation and pulled off a miraculous comeback team fight. But the image of Night Hunter bypassing the Sand Soldiers and pinning Lucian to the wall would become a nightmare he could never shake off.

Hearing footsteps, the JDG players struggled to their feet.

Su Mo walked at the front. He didn't strut around like a victor, nor did he deliberately display an arrogant attitude. His steps were steady, and his eyes were calm, as if what had just ended was not a decisive semi-final, but an ordinary ranked training session.

He walked up to 369 and extended his right hand.

369 looked up, his bloodshot eyes filled with awe and a complex mix of fear. He reached out and grasped the hand that seemed to possess magic.

“You did a good job with the pressure.” Su Mo’s voice was not loud, and only the two of them could hear it in the noisy background of the venue. “But don’t give up the Blade of Fury in order to withstand the pressure. Ornn’s E skill should not only be used to escape. If you dare to actively run into the wall and fight back under the tower, my success rate of tower diving is less than fifty percent.”

369 was stunned. He had expected to face cold ridicule, but he never expected that the seven-time champion would so accurately point out his psychological weakness after the match—the extreme fear during the laning phase led to distorted gameplay.

“I…I understand. Thank you, Brother Mo.” 369 lowered his head, his voice hoarse.

When Su Mo walked up to Knight, he nodded slightly.

"You are a respectable opponent," Su Mo said calmly. "Your timing for that flash-push-the-wall during the Baron fight was perfect. If I hadn't predicted your movement, the outcome of that match would have been different."

Knight gave a wry smile: "But in front of you, even the most perfect timing seems to have a flaw. Good luck in the finals, Mo Ge."

Su Mo didn't speak again, and shook hands with Kanavi, Ruler, and Missing in turn. There was no much exchange, only simple and steady handshakes.

After the handshake ended, the five EDG players walked to the center of the stage.

Su Mo stood at the very edge of the line, his baseball cap pulled low, obscuring most of his face in shadow. Unlike the other team members who raised their hands to interact with the audience, he simply bowed slightly and stood quietly in place.

But no matter how low-key he tried to be, the eyes of the entire audience were still fixed on him like spotlights.

"EDG! EDG! EDG!"

"Mo God! Mo God! Mo God!"

A deafening roar of cheers echoed throughout the Hongqiao Performing Arts Center—the highest tribute to the champion. (End of Chapter)